System and method for battery charging

• US 8,222,869 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2007
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: O2 Micro International Limited (O2 Micro Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: O2 Micro International Limited (O2 Micro Incorporated)
• Inventors: Li, Guoxing
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIGGUSH, AARON C
• Application Number:
  US11/827,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20090009141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• Field of Search: 320/141, 320/132, 320/134, 320/159, 320/164
• US Class Current: 320/141
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00711 with introduction of pulses during the charging process

Abstract

A charging circuit includes a pulse generator and a controller coupled to the pulse generator. The pulse generator is used to generate a plurality of pulses to control a charging switch. The controller is used to control a pulse density of the plurality of pulses. A charging current flowing through the charging switch can be adjusted according to the pulse density.

Claims

1. A charging circuit for charging a battery, comprising:

a pulse generator for generating a plurality of pulses to control an N-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOSFET);

a controller coupled to said pulse generator for controlling a pulse density of said plurality of pulses according to a status of said battery;

a charge pump coupled to said pulse generator for receiving said plurality of pulses and for generating a driving signal; and

a resistor coupled to a gate of said NMOSFET, wherein said resistor and a capacitance of said gate of said NMOSFET form a low pass filter, wherein said driving signal is filtered by said low pass filter to control a gate voltage of said NMOSFET, wherein a variation of a gate-source voltage of said NMOSFET is proportional to said pulse density, and wherein a variation of a charging current flowing through said NMOSFET to said battery is proportional to said pulse density.

2. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pulse generator comprises a pulse density modulation pulse generator.

3. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller comprises a processor.

4. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller monitors said charging current.

5. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller monitors a battery voltage of said battery charged by said charging current.

6. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller monitors a cell voltage for each cell of a plurality of cells charged by said charging current.

7. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller controls said pulse density when a battery voltage of said battery charged by said charging current is less than a predetermined voltage threshold.

8. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller controls said pulse density when a cell voltage for each cell of a plurality of cells charged by said charging current is less than a predetermined voltage threshold.

9. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pulse density decreases when said charging current is greater than a first predetermined threshold.

10. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 9, wherein said pulse density increases when said charging current is less than a second predetermined threshold that is less than said first predetermined threshold.

11. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an oscillator for generating a plurality of clock pulses,

wherein said charge pump receives said plurality of clock pulses and for generating said driving signal which turns on said charging switch.

12. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 11, wherein said charging circuit powers off said oscillator and powers on said pulse generator when a voltage of said battery is less than a threshold, powers off said pulse generator and powers on said oscillator when said voltage is greater than said threshold.

13. A method for charging a battery, comprising:

generating a plurality of pulses to control an N-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOSFET);

controlling a pulse density of said plurality of pulses according to a status of said battery;

generating a driving signal based on said pulse density of said plurality of pulses;

filtering said driving signal by a low pass filter formed by a resistor coupled to a gate of said NMOSFET and a capacitance of said gate of said NMOSFET;

controlling a gate voltage of said NMOSFET by said driving signal, wherein a variation of a gate-source voltage of said NMOSFET is proportional to said pulse density, and wherein a variation of a charging current flowing through said NMOSFET to said battery is proportional to said pulse density.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

decreasing said pulse density when said charging current is greater than a first predetermined threshold.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

monitoring said charging current.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

monitoring a voltage of said battery.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

increasing said pulse density when said charging current is less than a second predetermined threshold that is less than said first predetermined threshold.

18. An electronic device comprising:

a charger for charging a battery;

a charging circuit coupled to said battery and said charger for controlling a charging current from said charger to said battery, comprising;

a pulse generator for generating a plurality of pulses to control an N-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOSFET) coupled between said charger and said battery;

a controller coupled to said pulse generator for controlling a pulse density of said plurality of pulses according to a status of said battery;

a charge pump coupled to said pulse generator for receiving said plurality of pulses and for generating a driving signal; and

a resistor coupled to a gate of said NMOSFET, wherein said resistor and a capacitance of said gate of said NMOSFET form a low pass filter, wherein said driving signal is filtered by said low pass filter to control a gate voltage of said NMOSFET, wherein a variation of a gate-source voltage of said NMOSFET is proportional to said pulse density, and wherein a variation of said charging current flowing through said NMOSFET to said battery is proportional to said pulse density.

19. The charging circuit as claimed in claim 18, wherein said pulse density decreases when said charging current is greater than a first predetermined threshold.

20. The electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein said pulse density increases when said charging current is less than a second predetermined threshold that is less than said first predetermined threshold.